A Wish
by petit chou fleur
Summary: AU. Yuki Sohma is the heir to a wealthy corporation. Calm and collected, nothing ever fazes him. That is, until he's told an arranged marriage will take place one year after his eighteenth birthday. Will he manage to get out of it before it's too late?


Morning came again and the alarm clock sounded for the second time. Yuki stirred, then rolled over to one side exposing his bare chest. With one swift movement of his hand, he hit the noisy machine, switching it into snooze mode. Groggily, he sat up and looked at the calendar across the room.

He let out a sharp sigh before the sound of knocking interrupted his thoughts. He averted his attention to the large door. "Come in."

The doorknob turned and a maid walked in. Her bright smile made him grimace. "Good morning Master Yuki!" Taking one good look at him, her face flushed immediately and she turned the other way. "Sorry! I didn't know—"

"It's alright." He said, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

Stumbling now, she placed the breakfast tray on a large wooden table in the center of the room and walked across to the window. Not waiting for a response, she drew the curtains and basked in the sunlight.

Her name was Tohru and she had been working there for his family for a year and a half. When she first started it was strange to him since she also went to his school, but he quickly got used to it. The other maids and butlers were much older so it was nice having someone to relate to.

"What's so good about it?" He murmured, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness.

Satisfied with the view, she walked to the large walk-in closet to fetch his clothes. The room was easily the size of his own bedroom and she was grateful everything was color coordinated. Surprisingly it wasn't the work of any butler or maid, but Yuki himself. _Yuki is so self-sufficient_, everyone would say. "You did this last year too," her voice called, "you know it's your birthday today."

"I'm surprised you remembered." He replied as she returned with his outfit for the day hanging in her arms. She placed it on the end of the bed and held out a robe for him.

"Of course I'd remember." She replied, helping him into it. He eased himself into it backwards, extending his arms and stretching in the process. She then walked to the table and lifted the lid off. There were four pancakes served with a side of strawberries. "Happy birthday!"

She waited for him to be seated before sitting across from him. "Thanks Tohru...and again, you can call me Yuki not _Master Yuki_."

"If you prefer..." She trailed off, then remembered, "Oh! I bumped into Madam and she said for you to go to the Master's office after breakfast. It sounds important."

He nodded and continued to finish his breakfast. Cutting a portion of pancake off, he popped it into his mouth then ate some strawberries. She watched him, smiling.

When he was halfway done, the alarm suddenly went off. His eyes never moved. "Still not a morning person, I see. How would your fangirls react?" She laughed, then got up and turned it off for him.

After breakfast, Yuki finished getting dressed and headed to his father's office. He liked how the walls of the mansion were bright ivory, but hated the Roman-esque pillars that decorated it. The chandeliers were fine, but the large windows let the sun beam through mercilessly. He hated the noise his shoes made as they made contact with the expensive black marble floor.

The walk from his bedroom to his father's office took at least five minutes. He never understood why the mansion was as large as it was. As a child he would often get lost on his own, but he was thankful there was someone to watch over him. Having spent all of his life with butlers, he became accustomed to having others do everything for him. Lately, however, he became more independent even if a little bit.

Upon entering the room, he was welcomed by his father, mother and an unknown guest. The man in the room was easily in his mid-forties. He had dark brown hair and the wrinkles on his face told Yuki he too was a businessman.

"Happy birthday, Yuki!" His mother exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. Now he knew something was up. She pulled away and motioned to the chair at the desk. He noticed a basket of fruit on the table with a ribbon and assumed it was a present. "Come sit."

Not bothering to raise an eyebrow, he obeyed and took a seat in the armchair beside the stranger. Once he did, his father slid a photo across the desk. Yuki studied it carefully. There was a woman that was around his age. She had straight dark brown hair and aside from her tough gaze, there as a strange fragility about her. She was beautiful in a perfect kind of way, there was no denying that.

"Yuki, that is a picture of Machi Kuragi, the heiress to the Kuragi family." Yuki looked up from the photo and waited for him to continue. "There is no easy way of saying this, so I will be frank. As of today you are seventeen. Just like any other Sohma in the family, you are required to marry by the time you are eighteen."

He inhaled sharply, then exhaled. He knew there was no chance of arguing. Still, that couldn't stop him from saying what came next. "I refuse."

"Yuki, please listen to your father." His mother cooed, reaching out to touch his arm. He withdrew.

He grit his teeth and said it with a little more venom this time. "I refuse."

"Refuse?" His father repeated. His tone of voice reflecting on the word as if it did not exist in his vocabulary. "Who do you think you are, Ayame? This is a tradition that has been going on for generations. This is not a dinner meal. You cannot refuse. Do you not recognize the magnitude of the situation? Marrying into the Kuragi family would help put each company at a better position financially."

His father's words stunned him into silence.

Less than an hour later, Yuki sat alone at his desk in his room. The air around him was still and nothing but the sound of his breath could be heard. There was a pain in his chest he hadn't felt before. It wasn't anger or disgust. He just couldn't place it.

The floor was a mess; several fruit were scattered across. It turned out he was right, the basket of fruit were a gift—a gift of marriage, not a birthday gift. Should've known better, he thought bitterly to himself. They haven't celebrated my birthday in over five years.

He was once again interrupted by knocking.

"What?"

The door opened without his consent. "Are you okay, Master Yuki?"

"Oh, it's only you." He said, trying not to look at her directly. "Sorry."

She surveyed her surroundings cautiously, stepping as if it were a landmine. "Is...everything alright?"

He contemplated telling her everything, but instead replied, "No. Nothing's alright."

She straightened out her apron and took a seat in front of him. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"First, stop calling me Master Yuki. I told you this morning Yuki is fine."

"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "I suppose I'm just used to it."

"Second, I don't think that you want to hear me complain."

"Not at all," she said with a small smile. "Your happiness is my first priority."

The pain in his chest grew. "I...have to get married in a year."

"Married?"

He nodded his head. "Father arranged for a marriage into the Kuragi family. Her name is Machi. She's my age."

"What does she look like?"

He pushed himself off his chair, not able to stay around her. He stared at the fruit around him, then began collected them one by one. "She's dark-haired, piercing eyes..."

Tohru traced a picture on the table with her index finger. "Pretty?"

"Yeah." He replied. Once his hands were full he dumped them onto the table in front of her.

"I see," she started, her eyes catching his. When he looked away she continued. "So you have to marry her no matter what."

"Pretty much."

"Is it true that you flat out refused?" Tohru asked, taking an orange into her hand and peeling it. The smell of citrus made her nose wrinkle. Sensing his stare, she shook her head. "Excuse me if I'm out of place, I just heard it from the other maids."

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Yeah. I said it before I could stop myself."

"Why?" She asked, peeling each piece off the fruit. She placed it on the peel remains one at a time. "You normally always do what your father instructs."

Yuki stared at her blankly. "I..." He thought for a moment, then stopped. Why did he refuse?

"Well, hopefully you can get out of it somehow." Tohru suddenly said, standing up. "I have to begin preparing lunch with the others."

"What are we having tonight?"

"Your mother's favorite: Foie gras." When he stayed silent, she added, "Would you like me to make you some ramen instead?"

He smiled at her. "Yeah, thanks."

She nodded her head, got up and walked towards the door. Her smile managed to stay on her face until she closed the door behind her.


End file.
